#marchmeetthemaker , day 19: can't live without. This might sound silly, but I take *really* good care of my things. I have the same umbrella from when I was 2 years old, and it's the only umbrella I've ever owned. I drive a '99 Honda that's in better shape than most people's cars that are half as old. 8 years ago, I bought an old, beautiful coat from Goodwill for $6, and when I didn't have time to repair the lining myself this winter, I paid $120 to have a tailor do it for me, because it's one of my core beliefs that we should take care of what we have and invest in human labor and ingenuity. So here's what I'm getting at. I can't live without what I've come to understand as stewardship, or taking good care of things and shared resources. Some people criticize materialism as one of the greatest sins of modern culture, saying that we love stuff too much and people too little. I would argue that we don't love our things enough--we are superficially attracted to new things, yes, but we don't genuinely love them, or the people who made them. If we cared for things more, we would make them to last and discard them less often. Our philosophy for how we take care of ourselves and what surrounds us extends to the value we see and invest in other people. This philosophy is so deeply ingrained in who I am. I have been called loyal to a fault and sometimes to my own disadvantage. But I can't imagine being another way, and I believe in the long run, this deep care, this stewardship, I have for the small and big things in life, is what makes my life fulfilling and full of meaning.
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"Black Umbrella," ink drawing by Jenie Gao.
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#stewardship#lifelessons#lovewhatyouhave#inkdrawing#process#creativeprocess#makersmovement#jeniegaostudio

I couldn't have read a better piece to support exactly where I am in my understanding of grief.
Over time, I have learned to let the water come as it needs to. To open my hands, acknowledge my wounds and let it take it.
Thanks, @victoriaericksonwriter